John Finally Made It

16 December 2012

Dear Phyllis,

This past week has certainly been a momentous one. From here on, for a week, this is the Christmas season. In most churches, this means dendo (evangelism). Last October I asked Pastor Kichikun if he was planning to have some special Christmas program. From that conversation two things evolved. First we decided to have a major caroling event to reach our muban (housing area). Then, as a follow up, we decided to have a major Christmas program on the 21^st. Paul and his family do not live in this muban, but the Lord is using them in an unprecedented way, and I wanted to tap in on their success to have them participate with us here in our outreach.

The story is very complicated, but the short version of it is, that we had put together some extremely bad chemistry. The rehearsal for the caroling, Thursday night, had gone completely sideways. At 6 AM, Friday morning, Paul was at my house to tell me that they were out. Paul has about 10 kids on-fire for Christ, and they would easily be the main force in the caroling. Paul and I decided that we would still have them come over to do the caroling, and pass out 100 CDs of the Jesus film to every house here. That meant I had to call Kichikun and Destiny Rescue to tell them that there had been a major change in the caroling, and Paul's gang would pass out the CDs. Destiny Rescue could go with Kichikun's church or by themselves, but Paul's group would not be with them.

That was at 8:00 AM, and I would call them later. At 9:00 we had to be at school. They were taking pictures of the staff and classes, so that took an extra hour. Rather than going straight home, Pammy had some things to do, and told me she would be home some time after noon. At 1:00 o'clock she called me from downtown saying my good friend, John's wife, Noi, had just called her saying John was dying, and had only moment left to live. Would we get there as soon as possible?

Pammy went straight from town and I went on my own bike from our house. When I got there, there was a large crowd of people gathered. I went straight into the bed room, and it was obvious John was at the gate of the City. Their Thai pastor, Baiun, was by John's head praying. Johns eyes were open, and it seemed he was aware of what was going on around him, but he was unable to speak. The only sound coming out of his mouth were guttural death rattles. This was a first time experience for me to be with someone dying. My first words were, “Congratulation! John, you've made it! This is the moment you have waited for all your life. You have finished your course.”

For some strange reason, at 4:00, Noi decided to call an ambulance. I thought it was disgusting, but that was her call. At 4:30 Pastor Baiun asked me if I wanted to ride in the ambulance. I replied that I had a huge mess on my hands with a caroling event that was scheduled in two hours. No one had been informed of the change. At 5:00 I was home calling Pastor Kichikun, and then things REALLY WENT SIDEWAYS!

He told me to call Mike, who had paid $100 for the CDs, and have a meeting at our house in 10 minutes. Five minutes later Mike showed up, and went ballistic. The next 45 minutes were as bad a scene of confusion as the devil could possibly put together. I could see nothing but disaster. At 6:30 Paul and his young people showed up at our place along with a large group from Destiny Rescue. And the next thing I knew was 40 people were walking down the street singing Christmas carols. Paul and I were walking behind shaking or heads at something that was utterly IMPOSSIBLE – but it was happening. The short story of that evening was that it was TOTALLY different than what we had planed, but it was an impact for the Kingdom of God that went beyond anything that I had hoped for. We got to bed well after midnight.

At 7:00 the next morning Noi called saying John had rallied somewhat, and was now back home. We certainly planned on going over there that day, and at 7:00 PM there was another call saying John was breathing his last – “Please hurry”. The next 3 ½ hours were one of the highlights of my life. The day before I didn't care for John's eyes. They were not eyes of peace. There was the look of anxiety. It seemed to me that Pastor Baiun's main concern was more to assist the physical body as much as possible by trying to give him sips of water and wipe his mouth. That business of the ambulance was totally out of place. I told Pammy, “If I ever get in a spot like that, please don't call an ambulance, stick tubes in my throat, and give me pet shots. Just let me go to be with Jesus.” The main concern on Friday seemed to be more for John's physical body. When I said “Congratulation” it almost seemed to alarm him.

John had been fighting cancer for almost a year. He had one surgery to drain an enormous amount of fluid out of his chest. I didn't think too much about that, but three months later they opened him up to take a tumor out of his chest. The the next word was chemo therapy. That was the first time I heard the alarm bell go off. I don't like chemo therapy and John didn't either. He choose to go the natural way, and went to some practitioner that said he could cure cancer by food.

But the main issue was theological. John adamantly believed in healing. The problem with that position is that it prevents any preparation for heaven. In order to be consistent with the healing position you must live in denial, and refuse to accept that things are not improving. I knew a Pentecostal wife from Sweden several years ago that had brain cancer. They took a strong stand of faith believing God for healing. One day her husband was out. When he got home his wife was crying. He asked, “What is the problem?”

“The Lord was here and spoke to me. He told me I was going to heaven.”

“No He didn't. That is the devil.”

She firmly stuck to her position that she was going to heaven and her husband took a strong stand of faith that she was going to be healed. She went to heaven.

I knew a couple here in Chiang Mai several years ago. Shortly after they returned to the states, he came down with cancer. They naturally took a strong stand of faith for his healing. When he got right down towards the end, Maria wrote a five page letter of declaration of healing. She wrote, “Phil isn't any better but we know he is going to be healed because Jesus promised........ :” He died. That letter would have been an excellent testimony at an atheist convention. She eloquently wrote five pages incontestably proving that Jesus is a liar.

When John told me what he was up against, I wished we knew more about the mind of the Lord. I couldn't get a signal one way or another. Paul thought he was going to be healed. John was adamant for healing. I wasn't sure. It would have made our last few months together much better if we had actually known the mind of the Lord. Somehow I felt he wasn't going to make it but we couldn't be honest or realistic.

Now school was out. We didn't have to believe he was not going to die. He was dying. That was undeniable. It felt so good to be able to talk so affirmatively that he was going to heaven. For six hours I stood by John's bed praising God for what he was doing for him and where he was going to be in a few minutes. I said, “Oh John, I am so envious! How I wish I could trade places with you! You are number one in line. You are minutes out of stepping through the gate of the City, and I am near the end of the line.” I told him, “John, I will join you as soon as possible. Please save a place for me at the Table. Please don't eat everything, and save some for me (Mt. 22:2; Rev. 19:9).”

Oh, it was a joy to talk to John where was going. I said, “John, it is over. Your race is run. You have finished your course. The only thing left to do now is to step in the winners circle. The battle is over. You won. This is the moment you have waited for for all your life. Oh John, praise God you made all the right choices!” He hadn't always walked a perfect line, but basically he had given it his best shot choosing the things of the Lord rather than going in the by-path of sin. He had many friends that had gone down a dead end road, and it was always his burden to see them saved.

I have known John for nearly 14 years. I was very unimpressed with him when we first met. But I don't believe I have ever met a man who has grown more after he was 60. His last four or five years were years devoted to an intense pursuit of God. He lamented over the years he was a nominal Christian, but the last several kilos of his journey were right on track. He had a deep concern for his oldest son who was not as diligent a follower of Christ as he wanted him to be. Yok was a heart-ache for John. Now Yok was sitting on the bed next to his dad holding his hand. His loving wife, Noi, was there stroking his face with tenderness and love. What a scene! I told him, “John it doesn't get any better than this. There is nothing you could add to this scene to improve it.” Balaam said, “Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his” (Num. 23:10). Unfortunately that never happened. Balaam died on the south end of a Jewish sword (Josh. 13:22). But John had the blessed experience of having that wish fulfilled. What more can you ask? For the last three hours his eyes were fixed on me as I kept talking about his unspeakable future. I said, “John, you are not leaving much behind. That old tent that you are wearing is so wore out it is shot. But you will have a new suit to wear shortly. The Chariot of Israel (2 Kn. 2:12) has already left heaven and will be here to pick you up in a minute.” His mother had been a godly woman who prayed much for him. She was waiting with outstretched arms. Occasionally he would utter “Amen”, but that was his only word. I said, “John, we have had a lot of very good fellowship over the years but this is a new level. This is our best time.”

As he got closer, I said, “John, the deep part of the river is behind you. The water gets shallower from here on.” Where he was at that time the water was only about knee deep. He had been neck deep several months before with intense pain. But now the pain was over. He lay there in peace. As it work out, his experience went exactly that way. Two hours later the water was only ankle deep, and half an hour after that John set foot on dry ground in heaven.

John had a Sunday School buddy who had gone to Sunday School with him 61 years ago in Vancouver. Their path had remained remarkably parallel over the years, and Dan was now living in Chiang Mai with his Thai wife. Unlike John, Dan had wondered from the Lord, and had been a serious prayer concern for John for many years. But two years ago Danny started going to John's church and had returned to walking with the Lord. He was now one of the leaders of the New Creation Church. When I first got there Friday afternoon, Danny was kneeling beside John's bed with Pastor Baiun. Thirty four hours later he was still there.

The scene was just like being at the airport seeing someone off. Many well-wishers had come to see him off. But as he waited for his name to be called, people were looking at their watches; and the crowd thinned down considerably. At 11:30 Saturday night it looked like this could go on for another night, and we decided to go home. I turned to Danny and asked, “What are you going to do?”. He re[plied, “We have been together for 61 years and I am not leaving now.” The Lord rewarded that dedication. The next day Danny told me, after we left, John just continued to get quieter and more peaceful. Everything just slowed down. And at 2:30 AM John finally shed his earthly tabernacle to put on a new garment to be with Jesus forever.

Tonight they had a memorial service at John's house. It was indescribable. I don't believe I have ever been in a meeting that was so impregnated with the glory of God. Pastor Baiun asked me to have the main prayer. I stood there for two minutes speechless with tears pouring down my face. My heart was bursting with joy. John was home!

Oh, hallelujah! What a salvation! Oh, WHAT A SAVIOR!

bill